Eagle Rock “Good Will Hunting” home considered for historic landmark status

The home where Ben Affleck and Matt Damon penned the award-winning movie, “Good Will Hunting” has moved one step closer to becoming an historic cultural monument – but it’s for the architecture not its celebrity background.

The Los Angeles Department of City Planning staff recently recommended the Cultural Heritage Commission consider and further investigate an application for landmark status for the Egasse Braasch home on Eagle Rock’s winding Hill Drive.

Built in 1923, the two-story single family residence is classic Storybook style architecture with the house resting on a hilly terrain. The stucco with wood trim home – where you wouldn’t be surprised if Hansel and Gretel suddenly appeared – features a double-gabled roof clad in asphalt tile. Inside, an 11-foot tall arched stained glass window is flanked by smaller elongated arched window openings, according to the monument application Other indoor extras: wood beamed ceilings, exterior balconies, relief murals, painted murals and plenty of built-in cabinetry.

The building was designed by French architect Jean L. Egasse for local businessman Albert Braasch and his wife Constance; this home appears to be Egasse’s first full-scale home project. The property was sold by the family to Ben McNaughton in 1979 who rented out the house to various tenants – including two upstart writers-turned-actors.

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